Macaroni and cheese is Olympic level comfort food. A big bowl of pasta swimming in creamy cheese just heals what ails ya and can turn a real bad day into a great one.
Now there are many types of macaroni and cheese, ranging from the $.50 boxes with the orange powder all way to the $95 white truffle mac and cheese at LA’s Mélisse Restaurant. Now I don’t know that I would spend $95 on a bowl of mac, but I do appreciate the use of good quality cheese in this dish. Macaroni and cheese is special to me. Its not something that I eat everyday, so when I do splurge on a big bowl of creamy goodness, I want it to be really worth the extra burpees I will be doing the following day.
This recipe has a béchamel base, which is a French white sauce made by combining flour, butter and milk. It sounds way more complicated than it really is. It is just a melt and whisk situation and it is the absolute best way to make a perfect cheese sauce.
To get started, gather up 16 ounces of a good curvy pasta. I am using these deep conchiglie or sea shell pasta due to their wonderful ability to hold onto a large amount of cheese sauce. Any pasta will technically work, but try to use a shape that will trap as much cheese sauce as possible.
In addition to the pasta, you will need 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups of whole milk, 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, 8 ounces of white cheddar, 4 ounces of white American, a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper plus a teaspoon of dijon mustard and about 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce, both of which are optional, but highly recommended flavorful enhancers.
This cheese sauce comes together quick, so start your pasta before you start the cheese sauce. Don’t forget to salt your pasta water!
Place a nice big pot over medium heat and melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of all purpose flour over the melted butter and start whisking. You will want to cook the flour while stirring for about 60 seconds and then add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and 1 1/2 cups of whole milk.
Whisk the cream and milk into your roux and bring the mixture to a low simmer.
You should notice the mixture begin to thicken as it simmers and this is exactly what we want. While it is thickening, add your seasonings. I suggest a minimum of sea salt and black pepper, but adding a teaspoon of dijon mustard and a dash (or 3) of your favorite hot sauce will send this mac and cheese right over the top.
We aren’t adding hot sauce to bring any spice into the mac and cheese just a warm layer of flavor. You can totally omit it, but if you can trust me on this one, add a dash or 2… you won’t be sorry!
As soon as your milk mixture has thickened up and your seasonings of choice have been whisked in, reduce the heat to low and start adding your cheese. Add 8 ounces of shredded white cheddar and 4 ounces of white American cheese. This is the best combination and amounts of each cheese that I have come across.
For the best results, buy both cheeses in block form and shred your white cheddar by hand and cut your white American into cubes. American cheese is too soft to easily shred, so cubes are fine!
The reason I suggest using blocks of cheese is that the pre-shredded or individually sliced cheeses are coated in a non-stick substance that both prevent smooth melting and also… whatever it actually is, I don’t want to include it in my mac and cheese.
As soon as your pasta is cooked, drain it and transfer it directly into your cheese sauce.
At first, it may seem like there is too much cheese for this amount of pasta (a crazy thought, I know), but keep mixing and be sure to break all of the shells apart so they all get equal coverage. You will soon be pleasantly surprised that this is in fact the perfect amount of cheese for your pasta…
Now that everything is ready to go, transfer the mac and cheese off of the heat.
In regards to mac and cheese consistency, there seems to be 2 separate teams. Team extra creamy and team thick and sticky. The thing is, regardless of which consistency you prefer your mac and cheese to be, the difference is simply timing. The same recipe can give you both results.
That extra creamy almost soupy feeling mac and cheese is what you’ll get as soon as the pasta has been stirred in. While everything is still extra hot and freshly combined. This is my favorite mac and cheese situation, but if you prefer that thicker consistency where the cheese sauce sticks directly to the pasta and nothing drips back into the bowl then you just need to let the mac and cheese rest until things begin to cool down a bit.
Fresh mac and cheese will stay for quite a while. When you combine a piping hot cheese sauce with freshly boiled pasta, that is quite a bit of heat to dissipate. Allowing the mac and cheese to rest for 10 minutes or so will not result in cold mac and cheese by any means, it will simply allow the cheese sauce to cool just enough to begin tightening up a bit and grabbing onto the shells. If this consistency is your jam, let the mac rest for 10 minutes and you will get exactly what you want.
This creamy white cheddar mac and cheese is perfect in my opinion. The cheese to pasta ratio, the consistency (however you decide to enjoy it) and the flavor. Even though we only added salt, pepper, dijon and a little bit of hot sauce, the flavor is fantastic! That classic cheesy, salty, satisfying mac and cheese taste that you crave.
It is comforting, nostalgic and will take good care of any mac and cheese cravings that you may encounter.
Enjoy!
White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of pasta, cooked
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
- 8 ounces of white cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces of white American cheese
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil
- While the water is heating, shred the 8 ounces of white cheddar and cut 4 ounces of white American into small cubes and set aside for now
- As soon as the water begins to boil, add a generous pinch of salt and cook your pasta according to manufacturer’s directions
- While the pasta is boiling, place a pot over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of butter
- Once the butter has melted, whisk in 1/4 cup of all purpose flour and cook while whisking for about 60 seconds
- Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of whole milk and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and season with a teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and the optional dijon mustard and hot sauce
- Continue whisking until the mixture begins to simmer
- As soon as it begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low and slowly add the cheese stirring as you go
- As soon as the cheese has all been added and has fully melted, drain the cooked pasta and transfer it into the cheese sauce
- Mix until the pasta is fully incorporated
- Transfer the pot off of the heat and enjoy immediately or allow the pasta to rest for 10 minutes if a thicker consistency is preferred
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